San Diego Symphony Orchestra Association
Find Your Music
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Berton Family Young People's Concerts
A highlight of Symphony music education programming is the annual series of Berton Family Young People's Concerts, held at the Joan and Irwin Jacobs Music Center. Berton Family Young People's Concerts serve schoolchildren aged nine and above from elementary schools across the county. Concerts may incorporate additional subject matter from the humanities and sciences. Prior to each performance, docents visit classrooms and introduce the music students will hear through engaging discussion and activities.
Family Festivals
Youngsters and parents alike share in the Family Festival concert experience, enhancing their listening skills and discovering the power and beauty of symphonic music. Pre-concert activities take place one hour before the start of each program and provide children hands-on experience with a variety of Symphony instruments.
Linda and Shearn Platt Kinder Koncerts
Twenty-five to thirty-five musicians visit community venues throughout San Diego County and perform symphonic music selected especially for very young children ages eight and under. 2015-2016 performances were scheduled for the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation, Ballard Parent Center, Scripps Ranch Library, El Cajon Library, the Museum of Making Music, San Diego Children's Discovery Museum, Valley Center Library, Jamul Primary, and Poway Branch Library. Many students come from low-income families; others attend private or parochial schools. Representation is as broad as the general student population.
Where we work
Accreditations
Charity Navigator 2013
Charity Navigator 2012
Charity Navigator 2011
Charity Navigator 2014
External reviews

Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of professional artists employed
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
The San Diego Symphony employs 82 full-time musicians.
Total number of paid seats filled for performances
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Attendance is by Fiscal Year. FY 2018 is 2017 Summer and 2017-2018 Winter season. FY 2017 is 2016 Summer and 2016-2017 Winter season. FY 2016 is 2015 Summer and 21015-2016 Winter season
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
The San Diego Symphony Orchestra is dedicated to presenting symphonic music at the highest level possible, as an accessible and inspirational art form through innovative programming and a strong commitment to arts education. The Symphony's vision is to be recognized as a world-class orchestra and as a major contributor to the quality of life in the San Diego region. Throughout the Symphony's history, thousands of people, young and old, have experienced the joy of live concerts at the Joan and Irwin Jacobs Music Center, Summer Pops specials on San Diego's beautiful waterfront, and music education programming at a variety of community venues throughout the region. The San Diego Symphony Orchestra is the oldest performing orchestra in the state and reflects the diversity of the region by offering a wide range of concert experiences. Every October through May, classical music lovers from all over the county attend our Jacobs Masterworks concert series. Named in honor of generous local philanthropists Joan and Irwin Jacobs, this series presents the best classical repertoire from the last three centuries in concert performance. The San Diego Symphony Orchestra's Summer Pops and Winter Pops Series (City Lights) feature modern hits and special musical guests throughout the year. Highlights of the Pops programs include the Holiday Pops and the military Home for the Holidays performances in December and the Star Spangled Pops performance in Summer. Throughout the year, San Diego schoolchildren regularly enjoy concerts made possible by support from individuals, foundations and corporations who share the Symphony's commitment to music education for all young people. These programs have become even more important, as budget cuts have eliminated most, if not all, arts education in San Diego schools. The San Diego Symphony Orchestra is committed to providing San Diego youth with an outlet of music education despite recent limitations. As the San Diego Symphony Orchestra concludes its 105th year and continues into a new century of performance and community engagement, we will pursue musical excellence, bring classical music into the community, and inspire future generations of audiences. We will do this by: 1) presenting the best classical music, performed by some of the world's finest musicians; 2) working hard to maintain the organization's fiscal strength and stability; 3) increasing public awareness of the Symphony and its community programming through ambitious marketing; 4) expanding youth education programs; 5) increasing the number of commissioning and recording projects.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
In order to achieve these ambitious goals, the San Diego Symphony Orchestra will implement effective marketing and development strategies. On a broad scale, we hope to reach the larger community of San Diego by offering an extensive, yet balanced program of well-known Jacobs' Masterworks concerts and more contemporary pop works. We will work closely with concert promoters to attain the most promising up-and-coming talent. Past collaborative success with children's poet Jack Prelutsky and composer Lucas Richman resulted in the recording of an original commissioned children's work entitled "Behold the Bold Umbrellaphant." The San Diego Symphony Orchestra is excited to further bolster its creative legacy within the San Diego community, and will continue to commission original pieces for world-debut performance by emerging and veteran composers. The implementation of aggressive direct mail campaigns will continue county-wide and reach over two-thousand homes a year. On a smaller scale, we will reach out to the individual youth of San Diego by sponsoring schoolchildren to attend our Symphony Education and Outreach programming during the 2016-2017 concert season. Through concerts featuring a carefully selected repertoire of classical music, performed in collaboration with local arts organizations, students will increase their knowledge and appreciation of symphonic music, prominent composers, and the relationship between music and other art forms. Providing free Berton Family Young People's Concert tickets to low-income students will enhance the San Diego Symphony Orchestra's reputation as a leader in arts education and raise local awareness to the need for more comprehensive music education programming. Special Symphony fundraisers advertised for and held at local tourist destinations, like the San Diego Zoo's "Symphony on the Wild Side," the U.S.S. Midway's "Symphony for Freedom" and the Del Mar Racetrack's "Kentucky Derby - Run for the Roses," bring in first-time donors whose giving interests are cross-genre. Our Special Events team has experience targeting the correct markets for these events and plays a crucial part in the success of the fundraisers.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
The San Diego Symphony Orchestra's endowment continues to expand thanks to local individual, corporate and foundation donors. Our proudest capital achievement was the recent acquisition of the Joan and Irwin Jacobs Music Center, the Symphony's performance venue since the mid-1980s, for perpetuity. The Centennial Campaign, established in honor of the Symphony's one-hundredth year of performance in San Diego, continues to grow the funds necessary for the Symphony to sustain the high quality of its musical presentations into the next century. Ticket purchases alone are not enough to maintain our innovative programming, commitment to arts education, and variety of music series - all of which are San Diego Symphony Orchestra hallmarks. And of course, none of this would be possible without the tireless efforts of the Symphony's staff and musicians. San Diego Symphony Orchestra musicians are some of the most talented in the country, and willingly give back to the community with their time and talents. Besides performing during the Jacobs Masterworks, Summer Pops and Winter Pops (City Lights) concert seasons, musicians serve in various capacities as local music teachers, lecturers and mentors. Their musical expertise and generosity is unparalleled. A dedicated team of 50 Symphony staff, spread across Development, Special Events, Marketing, Production and Operations Departments, are also committed to, and supportive of, the arts in San Diego County. The San Diego Symphony Orchestra's Board of Directors is an important resource that has been responsible for delegating appropriate funding to the campaigns and programs that need the most financial support. Their collective experience as long-standing community leaders, managing partners and concerned arts patrons is invaluable.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
At a time when so many symphony orchestras are struggling financially, the San Diego Symphony Orchestra has just completed its most successful season ever. The Symphony attributes its success to its talented and adaptable musicians, world-renowned guest artists, a variety of wide-reaching community programs and a strong base of donors and subscribers. Another spectacular concert season has already been set in motion for 2016-2017. Guest artists will include Gil Shaham, Itzhak Perlman and Lang Lang.
At a time when little to no emphasis is placed on music programming for elementary students, we believe that the Symphony's efforts to preserve children's attendance numbers this upcoming 2016-2017 concert season will boost community awareness and demand for more organized educational endeavors. The Symphony is currently submitting grant requests to local corporations and family foundations, requesting funds to sponsor deserving under-represented San Diego schoolchildren's tickets to Symphony Education and Outreach programming.
A recent project initiated by the Education & Outreach department was the commissioning of musical work "Behold the Bold Umbrellaphant," based on the poetry of the nation's first Children's Poet Laureate, Jack Prelutsky. Composed by Lucas Richman, "Behold the Bold Umbrellaphant" consists of 17 short musical pieces that represent each poem in Mr. Prelutsky's poetry collection of the same name.
To facilitate donation activity, a new and more user-friendly Symphony website was created to simplify the giving process and more clearly explain donor benefits. An e-mail newsletter that showcases new and exciting ways to both experience and contribute to Symphony efforts is currently sent to all requesting concert subscribers. Convenient links to the Symphony webpage are always included in these e-newsletters for use by potential donors.
As the San Diego Symphony Orchestra begins another exciting concert season, we can only hope that the generated momentum of enthusiasm and community generosity will continue into the next one hundred years.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
San Diego Symphony Orchestra Association
Board of directorsas of 12/14/2022
Hal Fuson
Harold (Hal) Fuson
Arts Patron
Sandra Levinson
Arts Patron
Donald Slate
Arts Patron
Warren Kessler
Arts Patron
Deborah Pate
Arts Patron
Linda Platt
Arts Patron
David Snyder
Pillsbury Law
Ben Clay
Arts Patron
John Zygowicz
Arts Patron
Julia Brown
Arts Patron
Sherron Schuster
Arts Patron
Robert Caplan
Arts Patron
Collete Carson Royston
Arts Patron
MItchell Woodbury
Arts Patron
Phyllis Epstein
Arts Patron
Gloria Stone
Arts Patron
Marivi Shivers
US Bank
Janet Gorrie
Arts Patron
Ellen Whelan
Arts Patron
Frank Vizcarra
Arts Patron
Kit Sickels
Arts Patron
Bill Weber
Arts Patron
Kathleen Davis
Arts Patron
Terry L. Atkinson
Arts Patron
Lisette Farrell
Arts Patron
Pam Cesak
Arts Patron
Ardem Papatoutian
Arts Patron
Jeffrey E. Light
San Diego Union-Tribune
Una Davis
Arts Patron
Kristopher Kopensky
Biomed Realty
Lisa Behun
Bank of America
David Bialis
Arts Patron
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? No -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? No -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? No -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
No data